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Members of the International Campaign to Ban
Landmines (ICBL) and the Cluster Munition
Coalition (CMC) in close to 50 countries around
the world today (April 4) are calling on states to
put an end to the use of landmines and cluster
munitions immediately and to address their deadly
legacy.

click on photo to enlarge

“The use of both these banned weapons recently by
Syrian government forces, causing large numbers of
civilian casualties, clearly demonstrates why
these weapons are being consigned to the ash heap
of history,” said Sylvie Brigot-Vilain, Executive
Director of the ICBL-CMC. “The remaining hold-out
countries should join the two treaties
comprehensively banning these weapons now,” she
added.

The 1997 Mine Ban Treaty and 2008 Convention on
Cluster Munitions have been highly successful in
addressing and reducing the threat to individuals
and communities worldwide from these banned
weapons. There are 161 States Parties and one
signatory to the Mine Ban Treaty to date while 111
states have joined the Convention on Cluster
Munitions, of which 80 are full States Parties
(including three new additions this year and one
in the past week – Chad).

Thanks to the treaties many hundreds of square
kilometers of previously infested land have been
cleared and more than 46 million stockpiled
antipersonnel mines and 750,000 cluster munitions
containing 85 million submunitions have been
destroyed. Most importantly, the number of new
casualties caused by these weapons each year has
dropped dramatically to fewer than 5,000 recorded
cases.

Still, every day on average 12 people are killed
or maimed by these weapons. Some 60 states and 6
areas worldwide are still affected by
contamination from landmines and cluster munitions
and victims still struggle in many affected
countries to access assistance and services.
Thirty-five countries remain outside of the Mine
Ban Treaty and 86 outside of the Convention on
Cluster Munitions.

To push for more action by states, ICBL and CMC
campaigners from Afghanistan to Zambia have
organized public outreach events from 1 March to 4
April as part of global “Lend Your Leg”
activities. The idea of rolling up a pants leg on
4 April in solidarity with victims was launched by
Colombian NGO Fundación Arcángeles in 2011 to call
attention to the issue of landmines and their
devastating effect on communities in Colombia, and
throughout the world (in 2012).

In 2013 campaigns worldwide mobilized celebrities,
survivors, officials and the public calling on
states to: initiate and/or speed up land clearance
efforts; fully implement victim assistance
legislation to improve access to services; destroy
weapons stockpiles; and join the Mine Ban Treaty
and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. A full
listing of national campaigns can be seen
here.